Display containers with removable panel

ABSTRACT

A one-piece container having a top and bottom, front, back and end walls is configured for storing, shipping and displaying the container contents. A tear-out panel with multiple glued thicknesses spans a portion of adjacent walls, especially the front and adjacent top, and is removable to expose the contents. A reinforcing inside panel backs the tear-out area and also marginal areas around the tear-out panel in the front wall and top portion. The reinforcing panel can be a folded back extension from a top flap or laterally-inward extensions from column forming end wall structures. An outer ply of a portion of the tear-out panel may be removed prior to shipping, leaving the inside reinforcement panel to cover part of the opening, and simplifying tear-out. Containers incorporating this reinforced front and top panel display design can be either a unitary bottom construction, or a multi-piece folded bottom construction.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to paperboard, corrugated craft and similarcontainers in which goods are packed for shipping, wherein thecontainers used for shipping, or parts thereof, also display the goodsat the destination and permit customer access.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is desirable to structure a shipping container to support stressesassociated with supporting products in the containers and also stressesresulting from stacking two or more containers atop one another. Varioustechniques have been employed to strengthen containers. The materialthickness of the container walls can be made more or less, e.g., bychoice of material or by providing more or fewer overlapping plies.Added support structures can be included such as reinforcing webs,hollow walls, inserts and so forth.

Material additions, structural complexities for reinforcement and thelike, add strength, but only at the expense of using up some of thevolume available within the outer boundaries of the container. Somecontainers are used for displaying products at their shippingdestinations. Structural reinforcements are usually inconsistent withproviding easy product access provisions such as removable lids orpanels.

Containers that are intended to present goods in an appealing visual wayand/or to invite customers to reach in to remove goods from thecontainer, advantageously have ample openings. The openings permit linesof sight to the products and room for manually reaching for the items inthe containers.

Containers with openings can be integrally structured so that theproduct is exposed when originally packed, or the containers can havepanels that are readily removed to expose the products. Container lidsare routinely removed or folded back and provide a type of removablepanel, but removing lid panels alone generally is insufficient toattractively display the product or to convert the container from anenclosed shipping container to a more open and accessible productcarrier.

Containers can bear rough handling during shipping and also when used asreceptacles for products on display. Containers are known thatcompletely enclose products during shipping and are modified by removalof tear-off panels for use as displays. Whether a container isstructured originally with openings or provided with removable panels,the openings reduce the area over which the container contents arecovered and protected, and the openings can compromise the structuralintegrity of the container. Openings often detract from stackingstrength or container rigidity, that might be available if the openingswere occupied by container material.

Recognizing that openings can limit container strength and expose thecontents to damage, providing removable panels and the like are usefulbecause greater protection is provided before the panel is removed,during shipping, and greater exposure is provided after the panel isremoved, for display and access. Similar advantages may be provided byusing outer shipping containers that enclose and protect inner displaycontainers. There is a need to resolve conflicts between desirablestrength and product protection versus the need for access openings anddisplay exposure. It would be advantageous on one level to determine theoptimal balance between these interests. On another level, it would beadvantageous to provide new structures that tend to serve both interestsat the same time.

Some previous efforts to resolve the need for stacking strength,rigidity variations in containers having windows or structured openingsare shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,839,650; 6,098,873;6,029,886; 5,826,728; 5,524,815; 5,413,276 (each to P. Sheffer). Theteachings of these patents are hereby incorporated.

A shipping carton or container or box can be integrally made from athickness of paperboard, corrugated craft or similar sheet material thathas been cut from a blank and creased along spaced parallel lines. Thepanels between successive spaced creases define the side wall panels. Ina nominal orientation (and assuming a rectilinear configuration), theside wall panels can be in vertical planes when the creased blank isopened to the extent that the creases form 90° folds at each of the fourcorners, as seen in plan view. Arbitrarily, two opposite vertical wallscan be deemed the front and back side walls. The remaining oppositevertical side walls can be deemed the end walls.

In single-piece integral die cuts, the bottom may be formed by onecomplete panel, or the bottom may have bottom flaps that are joined atcreases to the side walls and folded inwardly under the container.Similarly, along the free edges along the top edge, the side walls caneach have at least one flap to be folded inwardly to form a top.Alternatively, extensions that occupy the same structural locations onthe die cut as such flaps can be provided at the top and/or bottom edgesof one or more side wall panels. The extensions are foldable to formreinforcing structures when folded inwardly in a lateral or longitudinaldirection relative to a side wall panel.

There are numerous possibilities for arranging adjacent panels of anintegral die cut sheet. Some panels can be joined to adjacent panels atcreases. Some panels can be joined at tearable perforation lines. Somepanels can be separated from adjacent panels by die cut slots. Portionsof the sheet can be removed to leave gaps. Given the numerouspossibilities, a challenge is presented to produce a container that isprotective during shipping and stacking, and also permits access to theproduct (with or without the need to remove a tear-away panel or toremove an outer covering container).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Additional objects and aspects of the invention will become apparentfrom the following discussion of examples.

A container Is disclosed comprising a plurality of panels formedintegrally from a sheet of material, the panels defining a bottom,longitudinally opposite first and second end walls, and laterallyopposite front and back walls. At least one in-fold flap is coupled toan edge of at least one of the front and back walls defining an accesswall, the flap being foldable into a position forming part of a top ofthe container. A tear-out panel is disposed in a portion of thecontainer encompassing part of said access wall and part of the at leastone in-fold flap coupled thereto, the tear-out panel being configuredand joined to the sheet at a weakened line so as to be removable by auser to form an opening in at least a portion of the access wall and aportion of the top of the container along the in-fold flap, to allowaccess to an interior portion of the container. At least a portion ofthe access wall and its respective top in-fold flap can comprise aplural thickness of the material of the sheet when the container isconfigured to an assembled state.

The weakened line joining the tear-out panel to the sheet is spaced fromat least one fold at a perimeter of the access wall, thereby leaving amarginal part of the access wall in placed when the tear-out panel hasbeen removed. The portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the frontwall can be separately removable from the portion of the panel disposedin the in-fold flap.

The plural thickness of the access wall and thee top in-fold flapcomprise a reinforcing layer of said material, coupled at substantiallya 180 degree fold to an edge of the in-fold flap opposite from theaccess wall. The reinforcing layer can occupy an area on an insidesurface of the in-fold flap and at least part of the access wall. Thereinforcing layer can be substantially coextensive with the access walland forms a part of the tear-out panel. Further, the reinforcing layercan be adhered to an inside surface of the access wall. The reinforcinglayer can also be adhered to an edge portion of the access wall outsideof the tear-out panel.

The plural thickness of the access wall and the top in-fold flap maycomprise a reinforcing layer of material, extending laterally from afold along at least one edge of the access wall and adhered to an insidesurface of the access wall. The reinforcing layer can comprise a lateralextension from the access wall including a column forming extension anda distal panel adhered to said inside surface of the access wall.

A lateral extension may be provided on each opposite side of the accesswall, each including a column forming extension and a distal paneladhered to the inside surface of the access wall. The reinforcing layercan occupy an area on an inside surface of the in-fold flap and at leastpart of the access wall. The reinforcing layer may be substantiallycoextensive with the access wall and may form a part of the tear-outpanel.

The container can be configured so that each end wall has an outer endwall panel joined to the bottom, the end wall panel having end, top andinner panel portions. Each front and back wall further can comprise aside portion joined to the bottom, and a pair of column-forming panels,one of the column-forming panels disposed adjacent to the first end walland the other column-forming panel disposed adjacent to the second endwall. Each column-forming panel can further having an assembledconfiguration in which the panel is folded to assume a column memberhaving a substantially polygonal shape corresponding to a shape of theend wall. Furthermore, each end wall panel can be sized and configuredsuch that when a pair of associated column-forming panels are in theassembled configuration, the end, top and inner panel portions of theend wall are foldable about the resulting column members and securableto the bottom or adjacent front or back wall to form the first or secondend wall to configure the container to the assembled state.

A distal edge of the inner panel portion of each end wall can comprise alocking tab that engages with a slot in at least one of the bottom andfront or back walls when the extension is folded over the associatedcolumn members. The front and back walls can comprise a tab receptacleinto which the tab locks in the assembled state of the container.

The front and back walls and the end walls may be integrally joined atmutually orthogonal folds to the bottom, and at least one of the pair ofsaid column forming panels may be integrally joined to the respectivefront or back wall at fold lines perpendicular to said one of the foldsjoining the side portion to the bottom. Each of the column forming panelof the pair can comprise a terminal tab portion that is folded inwardlyand glued to an inside of the associated wall such that a terminal edgeof one tab portion abuts the terminal edge of the other tab portion.Further, each of the column members associated with the first and secondend walls can be sized to span about half of a lateral width of therespective end wall.

Each of the column members associated with the first and second endwalls can be sized to span less than half of a lateral width of therespective end wall. The front, back and end walls may be integral withthe bottom, and the column-forming panels may be integral with theirrespective front and back walls. A portion of each column-forming panelmay be adhesively attached to a respective front or back wall to formthe associated column member. The adhesively attached portion of eachcolumn member can be sized to span approximately half a lateral width ofthe associated front or back wall such that when the container is in theassembled state, the front and back walls comprise a plural thickness ofmaterial. The adhesively attached portion of the column membersassociated with the front wall may be further sized and configured to beadhesively attached to at least a portion of the in-fold flap associatedwith the front wall to provide a reinforcing layer over at least aportion of the flap.

The reinforcing layer has a width equal to or less than a distancebetween the inner panel portions of opposite end walls to allow the topin-fold panel to engage the top panel portion of each end wall when thein-fold panel is folded to form the top of the container.

The plural thickness of material of the front wall and its associatedin-fold flap may be provided by a reinforcing panel folded inwardlyalong an edge of the in-fold flap, the edge oriented substantiallyparallel to a fold joining the front wall to the container bottom. Thereinforcing panel may be adhered to at least a portion of the front walland its associated in-fold flap, the reinforcing panel furthercomprising a tear-out portion configured to substantially correspond tothe tear-out panel of the front wall and flap to allow the tear-outportion and tear-out panel to be removed together. The reinforcing panelmay have a longitudinal width less than a distance between the innerpanel portions of opposite end walls to prevent interference of thepanel with the end walls when configuring the container to the assembledstate.

The container may have second and third sets of opposite in-fold flaps;the second set of flaps coupled respectively to an edge of the front andback walls opposite the first set of in-fold flaps; the third set offlaps coupled respectively to an edge of respective first and second endwalls; wherein the second and third sets of flaps are foldable into aposition forming the bottom of the container. The container further mayhave a fourth set of opposite in-fold flaps, the fourth set of flapscoupled respectively to an edge of respective first and second end wallsopposite the third set of in-fold flaps, the fourth set of flapsfoldable into a position beneath the first set of flaps to form the topof the container. The fourth set of flaps may comprise a cutout segmentdisposed in a portion of each flap located directly adjacent the frontwall, the cutouts having a contour that substantially corresponds to anouter contour of the portion of the tear-out panel overlying the flapswhen the first and fourth sets of flaps are folded to form the top ofthe container. The portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the in-foldflap can be separately removable both from the portion of the tear-outpanel disposed in the front wall and from the tear-out portion of thereinforcing panel disposed in the front wall and in-fold flap.

A container is disclosed, comprising a plurality of corrugatedpaperboard panels defining a bottom, a top, laterally opposite front andback walls, and longitudinally opposite end walls. First and secondopposing flaps can be associated with the front and back wall,respectively, each flap being integrally connected to its respectivewall along a longitudinally disposed fold line. A reinforcing panel canbe adhered to the front wall and the first flap to provide a pluralthickness of material thereto. A tear-out panel can be disposed in acontinuous portion of the front wall, the first flap, and the associatedreinforcing panel, wherein the tear-out panel is removable by a user toallow access to an interior portion of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A number of additional objects and aspects are apparent from theappended description and the associated illustrations of preferredembodiments, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled container according toaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the container of FIG. 1 in the unassembled“flat” condition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1, in a smallersize configuration;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the container of FIG. 3 in the unassembled“flat” condition;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the container ofthe invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the container of FIG. 3 in the unassembled“flat” condition;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 5, in a smallersize configuration;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the container of FIG. 7 in the unassembled“flat” condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a reinforced container 10 has a front wall20 a back wall 30, and end walls 40 projecting upwardly from a one-piecebottom 50. Front and back walls 20, 30 and end walls 40 are integralwith container bottom 50 and are joined to bottom 50 by respectivelongitudinally extending folds 120, 130 and transversely extending folds140, respectively. The front and back walls 20, 30 have in-fold flaps22, 32, for forming a top of the container when folded over parallel tothe bottom 50. A tear-out panel 21 is formed in a portion of the frontwall 20 and extends onto its associated in-fold flap 22 to allow foreasy access to the contents of the container 10 and to provide anattractive display appearance.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the bottom is comprised of a plurality ofin-fold flaps 1050 a-d instead of a one-piece continuous bottom panel asin FIGS. 1 and 2. Advantageously, all the panels forming container 10are integral portions of a single flat blank 1 shown in FIG. 2, and arecut, folded and attached to one another to form the assembled container,for example as shown in FIG. 1.

In this description, terms concerning relative directions and positionssuch as “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up“, “down”, “top”,and “bottom”, etc., or “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear” and “side”,etc., whether used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs, refer to theorientation of the structure of the invention or the relative positionof panels as the article is illustrated in the particular drawing figureunder discussion. The container of the invention can be placed in anyorientation such as resting on its top, bottom, side, end or the like,and the respective tear-out panels can likewise be located in any of thepanels, provided that the container meets the claims defining theinvention when in at least one corresponding orientation. In short,terms of relative position and orientation are not intended to limit theinvention to a particular orientation.

The terms “connected“ and “interconnected”, when used to describe therelationship between two or more structures, mean that such structuresare secured or attached either directly or indirectly throughintervening structures and include movable connections such as pivotingconnections as well as creases, perforation lines, score lines and thelike. The term “operatively” means that the foregoing direct or indirectconnections between such structures allow the structures to operate asdescribed and intended by virtue of such connection. The term “integral”or “integrally connected” when used to describe the relationship betweentwo or more structures means that the structures are parts of a singlepiece of material, but does not exclude perforations, scores or othersubdivisions.

Furthermore, the term “column” when used to describe structural membersmeans a member formed from the combination of two or more thicknesses ofmaterial. The thicknesses of material in a column may or may not includea gap or space between the thicknesses.

Lines representing fold lines are shown in the drawings by broken andsolid lines that represent lines along which the material can beweakened or caused preferentially to fold by any of various means. Forexample, corrugated or other material can be compressed along a thinline defining a fold, or can be cut part way through along the line, orcut all or part way through the line, or cut all or part way through atspaced intervals, forming preferential fold lines in the knocked-downflat (“KDF”) blank and/or in the erected container.

Furthermore, portions of joints in which the glue surfaces are exposedto view in a drawing are shown in the relevant figures by “XXX”patterns. Areas where glue on a rear face of a respective panel isrelevant are at times shown in broken line “XXX” patterns, indicatingthat the adhering surface is opposite from (behind) the side shown.

Referring again to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, front and back walls20, 30 are of plural thickness along at least a portion of their width“w”. The end walls 40 comprise column structures and thus are also ofplural thickness. The end walls 40 each comprise integrally formed inner42, exterior 44 and top 46 panels, with each panel integrally connectedto its adjoining panel via a respective transverse fold line 140 b, c.The exterior panel 44 is integrally connected to the container bottom 50via transverse fold line 140 a. Thus arranged, interior panel 42 foldsover a pair of front and back column members created by column-formingpanels 70, 72, which themselves are integral to front and back sides 20,30 respectively. Locking tabs 142 protrude laterally outward from theinterior panel 42 and engage corresponding openings 128, 138 in thecolumn forming panels 70, 72. These locking tabs 142 maintain the columnmembers in position within the interior and exterior panels 42, 44 andalso maintain the vertical orientation of the end walls 40.

Column-forming panels 70, 72 are formed from a number of integrallyconnected sub-panels, namely inner 24, 34, outer 26, 36 and lateralreinforcing 28, 38 panel segments. The inner and outer panels fold uponone another to form the column members that are enclosed by end wallpanels 42, 44, 46, while the lateral reinforcing panels 28, 38 foldinwardly and are glued to the interior of front and back walls 20, 30,respectively, to provide the walls 20, 30 with a plural thickness ofmaterial over substantially their entire height “h” an width “w.”Advantageously, the column members are formed as integral extensions ofthe front and back walls 20, 30 instead of extensions of the end walls40. This arrangement ensures that the columns, which provide stiffnessto the container 10, remain in tight engagement with the front and backwalls 20, 30 to provide maximum reinforcement of the container alongtraditionally low-strength and high-stress areas such as cornerdiagonals “A-A.”

Additional reinforcement of corner diagonals “A-A” is provided by theplacement and gluing of the flap panels 28, 38 to provide aplural-thickness layer over the entire height “h” of the front and backwalls 20, 30. A portion of this plural-thickness layer forms theinnermost portion of the corner diagonal “A-A,” which is typically theportion that is subject to tearing in the prior art containers.

The container 10 has a tear-out panel 21 disposed in a portion of thefront wall 20 and its associated top in-fold flap 22. This tear-outpanel 21 allows the user to expose the contents of the container simplyby removing the panel. This is an advantage because it allows thecontainer to be used for the display of products, rather than simply forproduct storage and handling. It also allows for easy access to thecontents of the container even where multiple containers are stacked ontop of one another.

The tear-out panel 21 is preferably perforated along its perimeterduring manufacture, and thus is easily removed by hand simply bypulling. One or more finger holes 25 are provided along the bottomportion of the panel for facilitating grasping the edge with one or morefingers or with a tool.

Referring to FIG. 2, each segment of column-forming panels 70, 72 isintegrally connected to an adjoining segment via a respective transversefold line 71 a, b, c; 73 a, b, c, thus allowing the segments to befolded together to form respective column members. The column membersare formed from respective inner and outer panel segments 24, 26; 34, 36to provide two-ply sandwich style columns. A pair of column members willcombine to form the structural core of each end wall 40. The end wallpanels 42, 44, 46 are sized and configured to enclose the column memberswhich will be assembled and folded into place prior to folding the endwall panels 42, 44, 46.

In one embodiment, the column-forming panels 70, 72 are dimensioned suchthat each of the resulting column members has a width approximately halfthe width “w1” of the container 10 and a height approximately equal tothe container height “h.” Alternatively, the column-forming panels canbe dimensioned to provide column members having a width that is lessthan half the width “w1” of the container.

The lateral flap panel segments 28, 38 of column-forming panels 70, 72do not form a part of the column members, but rather are used tomaintain the column members in the assembled state, and for this purposethey are folded away from the column members and adhered to adjoiningportions of the respective front and back walls 20, 30. The lateral flappanel segments 28, 38 also provide the front and back walls with aplural thickness material, thus reinforcing the walls. In theillustrated embodiment, the lateral flap panel segments 28, 38 coverapproximately half the width “w” and the full height “h” of thecorresponding front and back walls 20, 30 to provide a full reinforcingthickness to the front and back walls As will be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, the lateral flap panel segments 28, 38 can bedimensioned to cover greater or lesser portions of the front and backwalls, as desired.

In addition to reinforcing the front and back walls 20, 30, eachcolumn-forming panel 70 has a panel segment 29 configured to reinforceat least a portion of the top in-fold flap 22 associated with the frontwall 20. As previously noted, this top in-fold flap incorporates anupper portion of tear-out panel 21. Thus, reinforcing this in-fold flap22 minimizes the chance for tearing or breakage of the flap 22 uponremoval of the tear-out panel 21. It also serves to strengthen theaccess opening created upon panel removal, and further maximizes thestrength and rigidity of the container 10.

Reinforcing panel segments 29 are connected to lateral segments 28 alongfold lines 128 and are positioned to overlie in-fold flap 22 when thecontainer is assembled. Each reinforcing panel segment 29 is sized tocover approximately half the width and the full height of the in-foldflap 22 such that the extreme lateral edges 129 of opposing reinforcingpanel segments 29 abut one another when the two are engaged with in-foldflap 22.

In one embodiment, the reinforcing panel segments 29 may be configuredto be slightly narrower than the top in-fold flap 22 so that whenassembled, the flap 22 is left with a pair of un-reinforced marginalareas 222 along its lateral edges 122. These un-reinforced areas 222 areabout the same width as that of the top panel 46 of each end wall sothat when the container top is closed, the top in-fold flap 22 can lieflat against the top surface of the end wall, even with the other topin-fold flap 32 (the flap associated with back wall 30) which itself isprovided with only a single thickness of material.

As previously noted, a tear-out panel 21 is provided to allow a user toremove a preconfigured portion of the front and top of the container 10to provide visual or physical access to the interior and its contents.Accessing the container interior in this manner is easier and moreconvenient than requiring the user to un-tape or pull apart the topflaps 22, 32 of the container 10, particularly where the multiplecontainers of the type are placed in a stacked arrangement. Having apreconfigured tear-out panel also allows the manufacturer to control thedisplay appearance of the container, since a clean-cut display openingcan be preconfigured to suit the product application. This displayfeature may be further enhanced by manufacturing the container fromprintable materials, so that decorative or advertising graphics may beprinted directly on the exterior of the container.

The tear-out panel 21 comprises at least a portion of the front wall 20and the top in-fold flap 22 of the container, and preferably has aperforated perimeter with a pre-configured geometry corresponding to theshape and size of the desired opening. The perforations should beconfigured so that the panel forms part of the container wall 20 duringshipping, handling and storage, but is easily detachable by hand.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tear-out panel 21 is substantially centeredwithin the panel formed by the combination of the front wall 20 and thetop in-fold flap 22. The portion of the tear-out panel 21 disposedwithin the front wall 20 is designated 21 a, while the portion disposedwithin the top in-fold panel 22 is designated 21 b. A marginal area 23bounds the tear-out panel and constitutes the portion of the front wall20 and top in-fold flap 22 remaining after the tear-out panel 21 isremoved. Thus, the tear-out panel 21 remains part of the containerstructure during shipping and storage but is easily removable whendesired by the user.

As previously noted, the front wall 20 and top in-fold flap 22 each havea double thickness of material due to the positioning of reinforcingpanels 28 and 29. The perforations in the front wall 20 and in-fold flap22 therefore preferably penetrate both thicknesses of material to allowthe tear-out panel 21 to be easily removed as a single piece. Theperforations in each panel may be formed while the container is in theflat condition of FIG. 2, or they may be formed after the lateral flappanel 28 and reinforcing panel 29 have been glued to the front wall 20and top in-fold flap 22.

To aid in removal of the tear-out panel 21, the front wall 20 can haveone or more pre-formed cutouts 25 to allow the user to grasp the edge orinner surface of the panel 21 directly. These cutouts can assume anydesired configuration, and in the illustrated embodiment they aresemicircular finger holes. In one embodiment, the cutouts 25 are formedin the front wall 20, and correspondingly shaped and positioned cutoutpanels 125 are provided in the reinforcing lateral flap panel 28 so thatwhen the container is assembled (with lateral flap panel 28 adhered tofront wall 20) the cutouts are solidly backed by the cutout panels 125.The cutout panels 125 preferably maintain the integrity of the containerduring shipping and storage, but are provided with perforated perimetersto allow easy removal for user access to the full edge of the tear-outpanel 21.

Since top in-fold flap 22 and front wall 20 are both formed of pluralmaterial layers, folding the flap 22 along its longitudinal fold 121 canresult in an uneven fold or delamination of the material layers. Toalleviate this problem, one of the layers of tear-out panel portion 21 bcan be removed during manufacture, thus leaving only a single layer ofmaterial to be folded. In one embodiment, the exterior layer of material(i.e. that formed by the top in-fold panel 22) can be removed, leavingthe interior layer of material formed by reinforcing flaps 29.Preferably, this exterior layer is cut out of the top in-fold flap 22during manufacture of the container blank 1.

To assemble the container 10, inner and outer panels 24, 26; 34, 36,respectively, are folded onto one another to form the column members.Lateral flap panels 28, 38 are folded along lines 71 c, 73 c and gluedto respective front and back walls 20, 30 and reinforcing panels 29 areglued to top in-fold panel 22. End wall panels 42, 44, 46 are thenfolded along transverse fold lines 140 a, b, c, to enclose associatedpairs of column members, then locking tabs 142 are locked into recesses128, 138 formed in lateral flap panels 28, 38. The fully assembledcontainer 10 is shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 & 4 illustrate a half-height version of the container of FIGS. 1& 2. In this embodiment, locking tabs 142 are provided in the extremelateral edge of end wall 42 and are configured to engage lockingrecesses 150 in container bottom 50 at fold line 140 a line between thebottom and the end walls. This is in contrast to the container of FIGS.1 & 2 in which the locking tabs engaged recesses in the side of thefront and back walls.

FIGS. 5 & 6 show an alternative example of a container 1000 made of oneintegral piece of sheet material. The container 1000 has front 1020,back 1030 and end walls 1040 a, b, and a top formed from a plurality ofupper in-fold panels 1022, 1032, 1042 a, b associated with eachrespective wall. A plurality of lower in-fold panels 1050 a-d (FIG. 4)are also associated with these walls 1022, 1032, 1042 a, b and likewisecooperate to form the container bottom. A tear-out panel 1021 isprovided in the container front wall 1020 and a portion of the in-foldpanel 1022 associated therewith, and provides convenient access to thecontainer interior and the products contained inside, as previouslydescribed.

Referring to FIG. 6, the front 1020, back 1030 and end 1040 a, b wallsare longitudinally disposed along flat blank 100, with adjacent wallsconnected via transverse fold lines 1060 a-c. A glue tab flap 1043 isconnected to end wall 1040 b along transverse fold line 1060 d and ispositioned so that upon assembly, the walls can be folded along foldlines 1060 a-d and the glue tab flap 1043 adhered to the inner surfaceof back wall 1030 adjacent lateral edge 1031 to thereby hold thecontainer 1000 walls in the assembled state.

Each wall 1020, 1030, 1040 a, b is connected to an associated lowerin-fold panel 1050 a-d along a respective longitudinal fold line 1051a-d. These lower panels are foldable on each other during assembly andattached together to form the container bottom. This attachment can bemade using fasteners, adhesive or other means. Each wall is alsoconnected to an associated upper in-fold panel 1022, 1032, 1042 a, balong a respective longitudinal fold line 1120, 1031, 1041 a, b. Likethe lower panels, the upper panels are foldable on each other duringassembly and attached together using fasteners, adhesives, etc. to formthe container top.

A reinforcing panel 1028 is disposed at the extreme lateral extension1122 of top in-fold panel 1022 along longitudinal fold line 1121. Thisreinforcing panel 1028 is sized and configured to approximate thecombined shape of front wall 1020 and top in-fold panel 1022 so thatwhen it is folded along line 1121 and adhered to the wall and panel1030, 1022 it provides the wall and panel with a plural thickness ofmaterial over nearly their entire surface.

Reinforcing panel 1028 has a longitudinally disposed interior fold line1029 that corresponds to the fold line 1120 between the front wall 1030and the top in-fold panel 1022 to facilitate folding of the top panel1022 during assembly. The reinforcing panel also has a longitudinaldimension that is slightly smaller than the corresponding width “w” ofthe front wall 1030 and top in-fold panel 1022, thus leaving a marginalarea of width “mt” on either lateral side of those surfaces duringassembly. In these lateral marginal areas, the wall 1030 and top panel1022 comprise only a single thickness of material. This serves twopurposes. First, it prevents interference between the reinforcing panel1028 and the adjacent end walls 11040 a, b during container assembly.Second, it allows the top in-fold panel 1022 to lie flat against thecontainer top, even with the other top in-fold panel 1032 (the panelassociated with back wall 1030) which itself is only a single thicknessof material).

As with the container of FIGS. 1 and 2, container 1000 has a tear-outpanel 1021 disposed in a portion of the front wall 1020 and itsassociated top in-fold flap 1022, as well as the associated reinforcingpanel 1028 which backs the wall and flap. As with the previousembodiment, this tear-out panel is substantially centered within thepanel formed by the combination of the front wall 1020 and the in-foldflap 1022, and preferably has a perforated perimeter 1028 c that ispre-configured to correspond to the desired opening shape and size.Thus, the tear-out panel 1021 remains part of the container structureduring shipping and storage but is easily removable when desired by theuser. Marginal area 1023 bounds the tear-out panel 1021 and constitutesthe portion of the front wall 1030 and top in-fold flap 1022 remainingonce the tear-out panel has been removed.

The tear-out panel 1021 can also have at least one pre-formed fingerhole cutout 1025 with cutout panel 1125, for facilitating removal of thetear-out panel by the user. The cutout 1025 and cutout panel 1125preferably have the features described in relation to the cutout 25 andpanel 125 described in relation to container 10.

Similar to the tear-out panel 21 of container 10, one of the layers oftear-out panel portion 1021 b can be removed during manufacture toenable easy folding of the top in-fold panel with respect to the frontwall 1030. In one embodiment, the exterior layer of material (i.e. thatformed by the top in-fold panel 1022) can be removed from the tear-outpanel, leaving only the interior layer of material formed by reinforcingflap 1028 b remaining.

In contrast to container 10 of FIGS. 1 & 2, whose top is formed byfolding only a single a pair of top in-fold flaps 22, 32, container 1000of FIGS. 5 & 6 has a top formed by two pairs of top in-fold flaps 1022,1032 and 1042 a, b. The top in-fold flaps 1022, 1032 associated withfront and back walls 1020, 1030 are rectilinear in shape so that whenfolded they form the outer top surface of the container 1000. The secondset of top flaps 1042 a, b, i.e. those associated with the end walls1040 a, b, are configured to fold underneath flaps 1022, 1032 to providesupport to the upper flaps. Cutouts 1044 a, b are therefore provided inflaps 1042 a, b to prevent interference between the flaps and the accessopening created when the tear-out panel 1021 is removed. As can be seen,these cutouts 1044 a, b substantially conform to the portion of thetear-out panel 1021 b disposed in top in-fold flap 1022.

As shown in FIG. 6, the top and bottom flaps 1042 a, b; 1050 a, cassociated with the end walls 1040 a, b also can be provided withfeatures that allow the user to assemble container 1000 without havingto orient the front, back and end walls into a perfect rectangle. Thus,the portion of each top and bottom in-fold flap 1042 a, b; 1050 c, 1050a associated with the container end walls 1040 a, b has a width attransverse fold line 1041 a, b; 1051 c, 1051 a that is slightly smallerthan the width “w1” of the end wall itself, to provide increasedclearance between the flaps and the front and back walls 1020, 1030.Furthermore, the flaps 1040 a, b; 1050 a, c are also inwardly tapered,so that they become narrower as they approach their respective extremelongitudinal edge 1142 c, 1052 a, c.

FIGS. 7 & 8 illustrate a half-height version of the container of FIGS. 5& 6 and demonstrate that the subject matter of the invention is capableof variations of relatives size. As already discussed, the invention isalso capable of existing in different relative orientations, for examplein which the removable tear-out panes extends over a front and side, orfront and bottom, or side and bottom or other similar variant relativeorientation (no attempt being made to represent all such possibilitiesin the drawings).

The panels forming the container 10, 100 are cut, preferably from asingle integral flat blank, then glued and folded. Blank 1, 100 isprocessed, by folding and gluing operations, to provide the KDFstructure that can be provided to a packer in a compact collapsedarrangement, for example in stacks or bales wherein all the containersare completely flattened as compared to their erected states. Containerblank 1, 100 can be integrally cut, for example, from a sheet ofcorrugated board, paperboard or other sheet material. A number ofthicknesses can be die cut in a single step. However, container blanks1, 100 preferably are cut out individually so that the blank can bescored or compressed along lines that are to be folded, at the same timethat the perimeter of the blank is cut from the sheet. The blank isfolded along certain lines when it is formed into a collapsed state forshipment, and other lines are folded or partially unfolded when thecollapsed blank is erected for packing.

When forming container 10, 1000 as shown from flat corrugated craftboard or similar material that has distinct load-bearing aspects inmutually perpendicular directions, it is preferred to orient the boardso that the best load-bearing direction is substantially parallel tofront and back walls 20, 30; 1020, 1030. Thus for corrugated board, theflutes of the corrugation run longitudinally in FIG. 1, from one endwall 40 to the other. By comparison, the flutes of the corrugation runvertically in FIG. 5, from the bottom of the container to the top.

The various embodiments of the invention as shown are characterized bysubstantial vertical stacking strength, and resistance to deformationfrom rectilinear shape that is beyond what could be expected simply bymultiplying the thicknesses of vertical structures provided.Nevertheless, the container is easily formed by die cutting through theblank of FIG. 2 or 4, processing the cut blank through a fold and gluecontainer production machine, such as those available from Bobst Group,Inc. of Roseland, N.J., to apply adhesive and preliminarily fold overany panels, whereupon the container can be compactly shipped in its KDFconfiguration. The container is readily erected on site by simplyraising the column members, front and back walls and end walls relativeto the container bottom. The end wall panels are folded over the erectedcolumn members and locked to the bottom or front/back walls.

The container can be loaded with product, stacked and shipped, storedand presented to customers who can readily remove the tear-out panelfrom the container and view or remove the contents through the opening.

The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoingvariations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent topersons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limitedto the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly referenceshould be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoingdiscussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the inventionin which exclusive rights are claimed.

1. A container comprising: a plurality of panels formed integrally froma sheet of material, the panels defining a bottom, longitudinallyopposite first and second end walls, and laterally opposite front andback walls; at least one in-fold flap coupled to an edge of at least oneof the front and back walls defining an access wall, the flap beingfoldable into a position forming part of a top of the container; atear-out panel disposed in a portion of the container encompassing partof said access wall and part of the at least one in-fold flap coupledthereto, the tear-out panel being configured and joined to the sheet ata weakened line so as to be removable by a user to form an opening in atleast a portion of the access wall and a portion of the top of thecontainer along the in-fold flap, to allow access to an interior portionof the container; wherein at least a portion of the access wall and itsrespective top in-fold flap comprise a plural thickness of the materialof the sheet when the container is configured to an assembled state. 2.The container of claim 1, wherein the weakened line joining the tear-outpanel to the sheet is spaced from at least one fold at a perimeter ofthe access wall, thereby leaving a marginal part of the access wall inplaced when the tear-out panel has been removed.
 3. The container ofclaim 2, wherein the portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the frontwall is separately removable from the portion of the panel disposed inthe in-fold flap.
 4. The container of claim 1, wherein the pluralthickness of the access wall and thee top in-fold flap comprise areinforcing layer of said material, coupled at a 180 degree fold to anedge of the in-fold flap opposite from the access wall.
 5. The containerof claim 3a, wherein the reinforcing layer occupies an area on an insidesurface of the in-fold flap and at least part of the access wall.
 6. Thecontainer of claim 3b, wherein the reinforcing layer is substantiallycoextensive with the access wall and forms a part of the tear-out panel.7. The container of claim 3b, wherein the reinforcing layer is adheredto an inside surface of the access wall.
 8. The container of claim 3d,wherein the reinforcing layer is adhered to an inside surface of theaccess wall including an edge portion of the access wall outside of thetear-out panel.
 9. The container of claim 1, wherein the pluralthickness of the access wall and the top in-fold flap comprise areinforcing layer of said material, extending laterally from a foldalong at least one edge of the access wall and adhered to an insidesurface of the access wall.
 10. The container of claim 3f, wherein thereinforcing layer comprises a lateral extension from the access wallincluding a column forming extension and a distal panel adhered to saidinside surface of the access wall.
 11. The container of claim 3g,further comprising a lateral extension on each opposite side of theaccess wall, each including a column forming extension and a distalpanel adhered to said inside surface of the access wall.
 12. Thecontainer of claim 3f, wherein the reinforcing layer occupies an area onan inside surface of the in-fold flap and at least part of the accesswall.
 13. The container of claim 3i, wherein the reinforcing layer issubstantially coextensive with the access wall and forms a part of thetear-out panel.
 14. The container of claim 3, wherein: each end wall hasan outer end wall panel joined to the bottom, the end wall panel havingend, top and inner panel portions; each front and back wall furthercomprises a side portion joined to the bottom, and a pair ofcolumn-forming panels, one of the column-forming panels disposedadjacent to the first end wall and the other column-forming paneldisposed adjacent to the second end wall, each column-forming panelfurther having an assembled configuration in which the panel is foldedto assume a column member having a substantially polygonal shapecorresponding to a shape of the end wall; wherein each end wall panel issized and configured such that when a pair of associated column-formingpanels are in the assembled configuration, the end, top and inner panelportions of the end wall are foldable about the resulting column membersand securable to the bottom or adjacent front or back wall to form thefirst or second end wall to configure the container to the assembledstate.
 15. The container of claim 14, wherein a distal edge of the innerpanel portion of each end wall comprises a locking tab that engages witha slot in at least one of the bottom and front or back walls when theextension is folded over the associated column members.
 16. Thecontainer of claim 15, wherein the front and back walls comprise a tabreceptacle and the tab locks in the tab receptacle in the assembledstate of the container.
 17. The container of claim 14, wherein: thefront and back walls and the end walls are integrally joined at mutuallyorthogonal folds to the bottom; wherein at least one of the pair of saidcolumn forming panels is integrally joined to the respective front orback wall at fold lines perpendicular to said one of the folds joiningthe side portion to the bottom; wherein each column forming panel of thepair comprises a terminal tab portion that is folded inwardly and gluedto an inside of the associated wall such that a terminal edge of one tabportion abuts the terminal edge of the other tab portion.
 18. Thecontainer of claim 17, wherein each of the column members associatedwith the first and second end walls are sized to span about half of alateral width of the respective end wall.
 19. The container of claim 17,wherein each of the column members associated with the first and secondend walls are sized to span less than half of a lateral width of therespective end wall.
 20. The container of claim 14, wherein the front,back and end walls are integral with the bottom.
 21. The container ofclaim 14, wherein the column-forming panels are integral with theirrespective front and back walls.
 22. The container of claim 14, whereina portion of each column-forming panel is adhesively attached to arespective front or back wall to form the associated column member. 23.The container of claim 22, wherein the adhesively attached portion ofeach column member is sized to span approximately half a lateral widthof the associated front or back wall such that when the container is inthe assembled state, the front and back walls comprise a pluralthickness of material.
 24. The container of claim 23, wherein theadhesively attached portion of the column members associated with thefront wall are further sized and configured to be adhesively attached toat least a portion of the in-fold flap associated with the front wall toprovide a reinforcing layer over at least a portion of the flap.
 25. Thecontainer of claim 24, wherein the reinforcing layer has a width equalto or less than a distance between the inner panel portions of oppositeend walls to allow the top in-fold panel to engage the top panel portionof each end wall when the in-fold panel is folded to form the top of thecontainer.
 26. The container of claim 3, wherein the plural thickness ofmaterial of the front wall and its associated in-fold flap is providedby a reinforcing panel folded inwardly along an edge of the in-foldflap, the edge oriented substantially parallel to a fold joining thefront wall to the container bottom.
 27. The container of claim 26,wherein the reinforcing panel is adhered to at least a portion of thefront wall and its associated in-fold flap, the reinforcing panelfurther comprising a tear-out portion configured to substantiallycorrespond to the tear-out panel of the front wall and flap to allow thetear-out portion and tear-out panel to be removed together.
 28. Thecontainer of claim 27, wherein the reinforcing panel has a longitudinalwidth less than a distance between the inner panel portions of oppositeend walls to prevent interference of the panel with the end walls whenconfiguring the container to the assembled state.
 29. The container ofclaim 27, further comprising second and third sets of opposite in-foldflaps; the second set of flaps coupled respectively to an edge of thefront and back walls opposite the first set of in-fold flaps; the thirdset of flaps coupled respectively to an edge of respective first andsecond end walls; wherein the second and third sets of flaps arefoldable into a position forming the bottom of the container.
 30. Thecontainer of claim 29, further comprising a fourth set of oppositein-fold flaps, the fourth set of flaps coupled respectively to an edgeof respective first and second end walls opposite the third set ofin-fold flaps, the fourth set of flaps foldable into a position beneaththe first set of flaps to form the top of the container.
 31. Thecontainer of claim 30, wherein the fourth set of flaps comprise a cutoutsegment disposed in a portion of each flap located directly adjacent thefront wall, the cutouts having a contour that substantially correspondsto an outer contour of the portion of the tear-out panel overlying theflaps when the first and fourth sets of flaps are folded to form the topof the container.
 32. The container of claim 31, wherein the portion ofthe tear-out panel disposed in the in-fold flap is separately removableboth from the portion of the tear-out panel disposed in the front walland from the tear-out portion of the reinforcing panel disposed in thefront wall and in-fold flap.
 33. A container comprising: a plurality ofcorrugated paperboard panels defining a bottom, a top, laterallyopposite front and back walls, and longitudinally opposite end walls;first and second opposing flaps associated with the front and back wall,respectively, each flap being integrally connected to its respectivewall along a longitudinally disposed fold line; a reinforcing paneladhered to the front wall and the first flap to provide a pluralthickness of material thereto; and a tear-out panel disposed in acontinuous portion of the front wall, the first flap, and the associatedreinforcing panel; wherein the tear-out panel is removable by a user toallow access to an interior portion of the container.